


Can't Fight the Moonlight

by orphan_account



Series: Sailor Moon AU [2]
Category: Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Schönberg/Boublil, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Altered Memories, Alternate Universe - Sailor Moon, Because I'm changing nearly everything anyway, Brainwashing, F/F, F/M, M/M, No knowledge of Sailor Moon needed, Pining Enjolras, Pining Grantaire, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-29
Updated: 2014-02-28
Packaged: 2018-01-10 11:21:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1159098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Enjolras always wanted to save the world, he just didn't realize how literal that dream could become. Add falling in love, manipulative parents, new (and old) friendships, and talking cats, and suddenly life became extraordinarily more complicated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> So I was going to wait to post this until after Little White Lies was finished, but I couldn't help myself. A list of which Les Mis characters are which Sailor Moon characters can be found in the first story of this series, neither of which are necessary to read, but the story will play a role in this one later on and will probably be helpful.
> 
> And yes, I gave Combeferre the dual roles of Naru and Kunzite, and Marius is both Motoki and Zoicite. It will makes sense eventually.
> 
> Japanese translations for this chapter:  
> Sensei - teacher  
> Shimatta - damn  
> Konnichiwa - hello  
> Hai - yes  
> Arigato - thank you  
> -sama - extra respectful honorific used when referring to someone of higher rank  
> -san - honorific used between equals  
> Iie - no  
> Koneko - kitten  
> Shukujo Kamen - Lady Mask

Enjolras was late.

He growled angrily to himself as he rushed through the streets of the Azabu-Juuban section of Tokyo. This was ridiculous. He was never late.

If he didn’t keep having those damnable dreams! Maybe he wouldn’t have overslept that morning.

What would Sensei Lamarque say?

“Get the cat! Yeah!”

“Haha, hey, cat, bark!”

The cruel young voices caused Enjolras to stop in his tracks and glance over where three little boys were surrounding a small black cat. His anger at their brutality caused him to forget his tardiness and he charged over to them.

“Hey! Leave that poor creature alone!” he snarled as menacingly as possible. Luckily, though he was one of the shortest boys in his class, he was still tall enough to intimidate the primary school kids, who cleared out as fast as they could as soon as they heard him coming.

“Poor thing,” he said, crouching down and picking up the cat. He frowned as he noticed the bandage on its forehead. “Stupid kids,” he mumbled, gently pulling the bandage away from its fur. He blinked as he saw the bald spot it was hiding. It was a perfect crescent shape, allowing strangely golden skin to peek through the dark fur.

Surely those kids couldn’t have made that perfect a shape…

The cat suddenly flailed out of his arms and jumped away to land on a nearby car, seeming to study Enjolras as closely as he was studying it.

Before he could consider the cat anymore, he caught sight of his watch. “Shimatta! I’m going to be so late!”

He rushed off in the direction of the Juuban Municipal High, leaving the cat to gaze after him.

#

He was lucky. Sensei Lamarque only gave him a warning for his tardiness. He still felt humiliated at rushing in just as a new student was being introduced. He blushed at the teetering of the other students as he slid into his seat next to Combeferre. Ice blue eyes glanced at him in askance from behind silver-rimmed glasses. He shook his head, hoping to convey to his best friend that there was nothing to worry about.

“As I was saying,” Lamarque said, demanding the command of the classroom once more. “This is Mizuno Joly. I hope you all will give her a very warm welcome. We are very proud to have him here.”

“I heard he scored the highest score ever on the high school entrance exam,” one of the girls behind him whispered to her friend.

“I heard he had an IQ of 300,” she whispered back.

“Bet he’s a total snob. Look at him. Probably thinks he’s too good to be in class with _us_.”

“Wonder what the school had to bribe him with to get him here,” the other girl agreed. “Probably why they’re so _proud_.”

Enjolras scowled. It always galled him how his classmates treated people who were different. Of course, their attitudes were more a symptom of the overall flaws of society than anything else. As he noticed the resentful looks of his classmates following Joly to his seat, he resolved to make friends with the small blue-haired boy.

He wasn’t going to let his classmates’ prejudices to ostracize a new student, which was why as soon as lunch came around, he dragged Combeferre over to Joly’s desk and proceeded to introduce them both.

“Konnichiwa!” he greeted with a smile and a slight bow. “I am Tsukino Enjolras, and this is Osaka Combeferre. We would be honored if you would join us for lunch.”

Joly blinked up at them for a moment before giving them a relieved smile. “Hai. Arigato.”

“We were going to go outside,” Combeferre stated. Joly nodded and got up to follow them.

They settled under the shade of a large oak outside, Joly sitting exceedingly carefully on the ground before pulling out a bottle of hand sanitizer. He smiled sheepishly noticing the other two’s looks.

“You can never be too careful,” he mumbled.

Enjolras smiled reassuringly and nodded. “May I have some?” he asked, holding out his own hand. Combeferre nodded and held out his as well. He smiled at them both and squirted a bit of sanitizer in each of their hands.

“So why did you transfer here?” Enjolras asked in curiosity, rubbing the sanitizer into his hands.

“I had some… problems… with some of the students in my old school. My mother thought it best it would be best if I were removed from the situation,” he explained softly, unpacking his lunch. He gave them a shaky smile. “As it wasn’t a good environment for my studies,” he tacked on as an afterthought.

Combeferre shared a dark look with him, both of them able to read between the lines. Apparently Joly’s last schoolmates were not any kinder than his other classmates here.

“Well we are glad you transferred here,” Combeferre said finally. “If you hadn’t, I would have no one else to commiserate with when Enjolras undoubtedly gets in trouble again.”

“Hey! I do not get into trouble all that often!” Enjolras protested, crossing his arms sullenly and leaning against the tree trunk. “I merely refuse to conform to societal expectations or to advance a backwards societal construct that compels the acknowledgement of your societal standing in relation to the other speaker whenever you are addressed.”

“Enjolras refuses to use honorifics when addressing others,” Combeferre explained at Joly’s confused look. “I’m afraid it’s a habit I have picked up as well. You’ve noticed that we don’t use them with each other.”

Joly blushed. “I just assumed you two were…”

“Lovers?” Combeferre supplied with a laugh. “Kami, no! Heaven help the person who ends up as Enjolras’ object of affection.”

Joly chuckled at that and Enjolras scowled and looked away haughtily.

“Don’t be like that, Enjolras-sama,” Combeferre said with a smirk, intentionally using the respectful honorific to bait him. His scowl deepened. He laughed again before turning back to Joly. “I at least promise to call you Joly-san if you would like. I would hate to make you uncomfortable.”

Joly shook his head. “Iie, it’s fine. He has a point. It is vanity that dictates another address us with an honorific just to convey respect or affection. If it conveys respect, it is arrogant to expect it without earning it. If it is meant to convey affection, it is narcissism to demand it.”

Enjolras beamed at him. “Spoken like a truly wise man, Joly. I guess the rumors of your intellect are true.”

He flushed slightly before gasping. “You didn’t just ask me to lunch to get me to do your homework?” he asked, looking a cross between hurt and angry.

“Iie, we would never!” Enjolras and Combeferre both protested.

Joly looked relieved and apologized for the assumption, which they both waved off.

“So are we going to the Musain after school?” Combeferre asked.

Enjolras nodded. “But I’ll have to meet you there. I want to discuss my history essay with Sensai Lamarque after class.”

They both looked at Joly in askance, who looked stunned to be included but shook his head regretfully. “I can’t. I have cram school today.”

“Some other time then,” Combeferre said understandingly.

#

Enjolras hastened to the Musain after his meeting with Lamarque, still a little peeved at himself for missing the issues his sensai had pointed out in his paper. Of course, he had still gotten full marks, which most would count as a win, but he did not like overlooking things, especially when it came to history, one of his favorite subjects.

His determined gait was interrupted, however, by a body colliding with him from his right. He gasped and tried to regain his balance as he fell towards the road and into the traffic, but it was no use. He threw his arms out to brace himself, hoping there wasn’t a car coming and prepared for an impact that never came.

Strong arms wrapped around him and pulled him upright. He opened his eyes and looked up to see sky blue eyes staring down at him in concern beneath inky black curls. A shiver went through him as he stared into the stranger’s eyes as a waves of different emotions ran through him—sorrow, longing, joy, despair, love…

He shook his head, unwilling to untangle the sea of feelings sweeping through him, and shrugged off the man’s hold.

“Why don’t you watch where you’re going?” he snapped. “You could get someone killed!”

The other man just smirked down at him. “Anyone ever tell you that you look like an angry kitten when you’re mad?”

Enjolras sputtered in anger before growling and stomping past him.

“See you around, koneko!” the laughing man called from behind him.

_Not likely_ , he thought angrily, though he could not deny that a part of him desperately wanted to run back to those smiling blue eyes immediately and wrap himself in those strong arms…

He stuffed that part of him in a small box at the back of his mind. Why on Earth would he think such things about a man he just met? Even if that man did seem to invoke such strange emotions within him…

He forced himself not to think of the man as he walked into the Musain, immediately spotting Combeferre at the counter speaking with Marius and a petite blonde girl.

“’Ferre, Marius,” he greeted each with a nod before looking to the blonde. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Enjolras!” Marius cried in greeting, causing him to wince slightly at the other man’s exuberance. “Allow me to introduce Chiba Cosette. She has just returned from studying abroad in America. Cosette-chan, this is Tsukino Enjolras.”

“It’s a pleasure,” he said, bowing slightly, ignoring Marius’ use of the honorific. Marius, while comfortable with dropping it with Enjolras and Combeferre, was not yet brave enough to drop it with others.

“The pleasure is mine, Enjolras-san,” she replied, inclining her head.

“Just Enjolras, please,” he answered, absently before asking Marius for a coffee. Her only answer was a nod, so he assumed she had received the same request from Combeferre.

With his coffee before him, he finally glanced more closely at Cosette, stiffening as he met her midnight blue eyes and was caught in yet another whirlwind of emotions—sorrow, longing, joy, despair, love…

These, though, felt different. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but they felt… off. Like shoes that were at once too tight yet too big. It was an odd feeling, one that he didn’t particularly like.

He quickly looked away even as he heard her slight gasp. Throwing money down for his coffee, he quickly made his excuses, claiming to have forgotten a request from his mother, and was out the door before anyone could question him.

What the hell was wrong with him?

#

His mom and brother were out when he got home so he went straight to his room. He froze as he walked in his room, though, as he caught sight of something black on his bed.

It was the odd cat from this morning.

“What are you doing here, little guy?” he asked, creeping towards the animal and wondering if it had been following him all day without him noticing.

 “I am _not_ a ‘little guy,’” the cat replied in a stern voice, causing Enjolras to jump back in shock.

“Y-you can talk?!?” he exclaimed, wondering if he were dreaming. Maybe he had fallen into traffic earlier and he was in a coma or something.

The cat gave him a disdainful look and sat primly on its back haunches. “Yes, I can. Now if you could kindly accept that so that we can get to more serious matters.”

“A talking cat is lecturing me about being serious,” he grumbled, inching closer but still keeping a cautious distant.

“My name is Javert,” the cat went on, apparently undisturbed by Enjolras wary look. “And I have come to awaken you as a Sailor Senshi.”

“A what?” he said, almost certain he was dreaming now.

“A Sailor Senshi,” Javert repeated. “A planetary guardian sworn to protect the solar system and the Prince of the Moon.”

He put aside the ridiculous of the moment enough to feel indignant about the last bit. “Why should I swear to protect some unelected royal who can’t protect himself?”

“Because he is the only one who can stop the Dark Kingdom from destroying the entire universe!” Javert snapped, finally losing his composure and glaring at Enjolras.

A little annoyed that he had no real argument against that, he frowned and dropped to the bed, a small sliver of satisfaction running through him as the bed dipping caused Javert to lose his balance.

“And how am I supposed to protect this all-powerful prince?” he asked.

Javert shot him a look before jumping high and doing a flip midair. There was a flash of light and a gold ring with a golden crescent-shaped crystal landed on the bed.

“Take this ring and say ‘Moon Prism Power, Make Up.’”

Feeling a bit silly, he slipped the ring onto his right hand and called out, “Moon Prism Power, Make Up!”

He gasped in shock as golden ribbons of light flowed from out of the ring. When the light faded, his school uniform had faded away and he stood there in what was apparently Sailor Senshi gear. He glanced at his image in the mirror on his dresser in shock.

He was wearing blue form-fitting pants, with knee-high sturdy red boots and a red belt. His top was a form fitting white shirt tucked into the pants, with a waist-length red jacket, and white gloves adorned his hands. His eyes were covered by what looked like a flimsy red mask perched precariously on the bridge of his nose, but when he shook his head rather vigorously to test it, the mask did not move from its place.

“What the hell?!?” he exclaimed finally, whirling around to face the smirking cat and privately noting that the uniform was efficiently designed to maximize both comfort and movement, though he had no idea how much it protected its wearer… but that was totally besides the point.

“Enjolras! You are sworn to protect the universe from evil! It is time to fulfill your destiny!” Javert proclaimed triumphantly.

Enjolras stared at him. If he had said that before the light show and wardrobe change, he might have thought the little creature was being overdramatic.

Before he could answer that bold proclamation, though, he heard a cry of distress from nearby.

“Quick! The Dark Kingdom must be attacking someone!” Javert cried, jumping out the window, obviously expecting Enjolras to follow. “Sailor Moon, hurry!” he urged from the tree outside the window.

Following instincts he didn’t know he had, Enjolras jumped gracefully out of the window, his landing nowhere near as harsh as it should have been from a two-story drop. He continued running after Javert, not really knowing what he was going to do when they got to where someone was being attacked but knowing he couldn’t do nothing.

He stopped short as he realized the cry for help had come from Combeferre’s mother’s jewelry shop.

He threw himself forward with a gasp, praying his friend was still at the Musain and far from here.

No such luck, he realized as he took in the scene.

All around, bodies were lying prone on the floor of the shop. Combeferre was slouched against a wall in front of a disturbing ghoulish-looking creature. He looked anxious, but had a defiant glint in his eyes as he glared up at the monster, who seemed to be waiting for something.

Sneaking in quietly, Enjolras reached for a body of a young woman lying near him and let out a sigh of relief as he felt a pulse, weak though it was. They were still alive. Maybe if he could defeat this creature, they could stay that way.

How he was supposed to do that, though, he didn’t know.

Before he could step forward, though, another figure appeared out of nowhere. He had long wavy brown hair and wore a dark blue uniform with orange trim.

“This one has a strange energy, Morga,” the man said, stepping forward to study Combeferre, his head turning so that Enjolras could see his face.

He had to stifle a gasp.

It was Lesgle Bossuet!

Bossuet had attended junior high with them. When he hadn’t shown up at their high school, they had assumed he had been accepted into a private school.

What was he doing with the Dark Kingdom?

“Sailor Moon!” Javert hissed, drawing him out of his thoughts.

He nodded seriously and stepped forward. “Stop right there!” he said with much more confidence than he actually felt. All eyes turned to him.

“And just who are you?” Bossuet sneered.

“I’m Sailor Moon and I will not allow you to hurt anyone else!” he cried, not entirely sure how he was going to back up that declaration.

Bossuet scoffed. “Morga, take care of this pest.”

“With pleasure,” the monster said in an odd purring voice before lunging at Enjolras.

He jumped away quickly, narrowing avoiding Morga’s claws.

“You won’t get away that easily,” it laughed, darting towards him again.

He sidestepped its movements this time, bringing his knee up to use its own momentum against it. When it doubled over, he quickly threw an uppercut that had it staggering away.

He stared at his fist as if it were foreign to him. How did he know how to do that?

_I would feel better knowing you can protect yourself_.

The words floated through his mind as if from a dream. Unfortunately, they also distracted him enough for a now recovered Morga to lurch forward and grab his throat with its hand.

He gasped for breath as it pressed down on his windpipe, but a sick feeling washed over him as he realized the monster’s hand was also sucking his energy away.

Morga suddenly cried out in pain, releasing his throat and allowing him to put some distance between them. He glanced down at what had struck the monster and looked in confusion at the red rose embedded in the ground like a throwing knife.

He looked up and saw a woman in a black evening dress leap down from the upper level of the shop to land before the monster. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bossuet scowl and disappear. Hoping he would only have to concentrate on the monster now, and relieved he didn’t have to fight his former friend, he got to his feet and turned towards the monster.

“I hope you have a plan to finish this thing,” the masked woman said, stepping away from Morga’s attack and throwing more steel-tipped roses at it.

“Working on it,” he mumbled.

“Sailor Moon!” Javert calling, doing another flip and causing a long silver stick with a small golden crescent on top to appear. “This is the Silver Moon Staff. With this, you’ll be able to finish off the monster.”

“You couldn’t have given this to me sooner!” he yelled, grabbing the staff from where it had landed.

“You’re a Sailor Senshi!” he snapped back. “You’re supposed to have your own powers! How was I supposed to know you were so weak a Senshi! The staff belongs to the prince, but as the Senshi of the Moon, you should be able to activate it as well.”

Enjolras clenched his jaw at being called weak, especially when he had never volunteered to fight in the first place. Instead of arguing though, he turned the staff towards the monster.

“Silver Moon Strike!” he called out, the words coming to him on instinct. Silver light poured out of the staff, disintegrating the monster as soon as it touched it.

He felt like cheering when he realized the fight was over but was too exhausted to. He sighed in relief as he saw the bodies around them begin to stir, Combeferre one of the first to stagger to his feet.

He turned towards his mysterious helper, finally getting a good look at her. She wore a mask similar to his own, but in white. Her black dress dropped to the floor but had slits to her hips to all for easy movement. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, with her neck and arms covered by the fabric of her dress.

She was stunning, and he felt an odd pull towards her, which was colored with a tinge of wrongness. Was she perhaps an enemy in disguise?

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I could ask you the same thing, Sailor Moon,” she replied cheekily. “You may call me Shukujo Kamen.”

“And are you a friend or foe?” he asked.

She smiled. “Rest assured, Sailor Moon, that I wish no harm to you. I will help you fight this evil as long as I am able to,” she promised before jumping up the upper levels once more and disappearing.

Enjolras was left staring after her before he decided that it would be wise for him to flee as well.

Taking one last look towards Combeferre to ensure that his best friend was okay, he disappeared into the shadows and made his way back home.

Tbc…


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I gave Joly!Mercury an offensive attack that Mercury had in the live action series because what the hell use is just mist? The names of the attacks seem like they should be switched, but I'm just gonna leave them like they are because that's how they are in the originals, haha.
> 
> Japanese translations:
> 
> Kami - god  
> Hai - yes  
> Arigato - Thank you

_Blue eyes smiled up at him in the bright moonlight as he reached to brush blond curls away from his lover’s face. He bent down to capture the lips of the shorter man, only to meet air. He looked around in confusion, spotting the missing man a few yards away, lying on his back on the cold pavement._

_Suddenly the world around him shifted, the sidewalk he was standing on changing to white marble and the moon in the sky becoming a bright Earth, shining blue in the darkness._

_He rushed to the prone blond’s side, sobbing as he beheld the still-warm corpse._

_He was gone. What was he supposed to do now? How was he supposed to go on without him?_

_It wasn’t just him, though. It was everyone. Neptune, Pluto, Saturn, all three fallen in a blast of power from the Dark Kingdom._

_He could only assume Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury had met a similar fate._

_The pain of it was unbearable._

_The sharp pain of a blade through his heart, though, was enough to make it all fade into the blackness._

He awoke with a start, still feeling a phantom pain in his heart from a blade he had never seen.

He took deep even breaths to get his heart rate under control before easing out of bed, careful not to wake the sleeping man next to him.

“Mmmm, ‘Taire?” Jehan muttered sleepily despite his care, causing Grantaire to cringe in guilt.

“It’s okay,” he murmured. “Go back to sleep.”

In his still mostly-asleep state, Jehan accepted that without questioning, burrowing back into the pillows.

Guilt like no other consumed him as he gazed down at the man in his bed. He always felt deep shame after dreams like this, but it was worse now.

Before, he had dreamed of being in love with his beautiful Apollo in their past lives, hating the man he had been. A man who had claimed to love his Neptune but had lusted after the golden prince in secret. A man who had held his partner and lover close while lying to him about his affections.

He had told himself that this time would be different. In this life, he would be the man that his boyfriend deserved.

And Jean Prouvaire deserved everything.

As soon as he laid eyes on the French exchange student, he knew that he didn’t deserve him. With his beautiful long and pale curls streaked with teal highlights that matched his eyes, Jean Prouvaire was stunning.

And he loved Grantaire.

Grantaire had tried to discourage him. He knew who the other student was. He had seen him in his dreams. Had seen him die as Grantaire knelt motionlessly beside the body of a man he could never have.

Had seen him fighting alongside him as silence and darkness fell over the world, a bright crystalline shape shining in the distance before breaking into three pieces and disappearing as the silence consumed them all.

He had known that Jehan deserved better than a man like him, a man who was in love with a long dead prince he had never stood a chance with.

But Jehan wanted him. Jehan _loved_ him.

And Jehan deserved to be with the man he loved, even if Grantaire didn’t deserve him.

So he had given in. Had once again taken the mantle of Sailor Uranus and joined the fight against the evil that would bring about the silence.

But their enemy had gone quiet for the time being, and he had just met his Apollo in this lifetime.

And now he was thinking about him in a way he had promised himself he would not do.

He would not fall for this man again. He would not do that to Jehan.

In this lifetime, he would be a better man.

The mission they were charged with caused him enough anguish. He would not allow some blue-eyed blond to cause him even more.

#

Enjolras smiled to himself as he walked home from the school. Though his life had definitely become more complicated when Javert the talking cat had decided to follow him home, he was actually enjoying the sense of purpose that came with being a Sailor Senshi.

Though he could definitely do without Javert’s nagging about figuring how his natural powers instead of relying on the Silver Moon Staff.

He frowned at the thought, remembering the futile meditation exercises Javert had put him through. He had been able to see his inner power, a beautiful blend of warm gold and cool silver, but there was no way to access it like Javert wanted. It was there, lying dormant beneath the surface. He knew the Moon Staff tapped into the silver light somehow, but only a small bit was brought forth.

He assumed the silver light was what he had in common with the prince and why he was able to use the Staff at all. The gold, then, had to be what made him a Senshi.

If only he could access it.

Maybe he was a failure as a Senshi, he mused darkly, his mood shifting from his earlier contentment. Then again, it’s not like Javert had found any other Senshi for him to compare himself to. Perhaps all Senshi had the same problem as he did…

“Well, look who it is,” an arrogant voice cut through his thoughts. He looked up to see two boys who he knew went to his school but he could not place them for the life of him. “It’s Lamarque’s little pet, and all alone!”

The other boy laughed and took a step closer to Enjolras. “What are we gonna do with him?”

Enjolras almost took a step back in apprehension but thought better of it. This was ridiculous. He was Sailor Moon, for Kami’s sake! He was not going to let himself be bullied by a couple of Troglodytes.

“You will let me pass in peace,” he said firmly, feeling uneasy as they both stepped closer to him and he realized both of them towered over him by at least a head. Sailor Moon or not, he didn’t think he could take one of them, let alone both. And it wasn’t like he had any powers he could call upon…

“Now why would we want to waste this opportunity?” the first bully said in a low voice, leaning down to speak in Enjolras’ ear. “You are a very pretty thing, aren’t you? I could almost forget you were a boy if I tried…”

“I think you better let him pass in peace,” a deep and deadly serious voice spoke from behind them, causing them both to whirl around at the intruder.

Enjolras recognized the newcomer as a tall boy in a different class in his grade. He was grateful for the help, but also worried that the other student was going to get hurt for his sake.

“What? Are you gonna make us?” one of the bullies scoffed.

The boy smirked. “Maybe.”

“Why you little…”

One of the bullies lunged at him. Before Enjolras even had time to register concern, the boy had put the bully on the ground and was looking at the other with a challenging gleam in his eye.

The other looked down at Enjolras with a leer. “Not worth the trouble,” he said, helping his friend up and all but dragging him away.

His rescuer approached him then. “You okay, kid?”

Enjolras nodded in relief, not even upset at being called kid. “Hai. Arigato.”

“No problem,” he said with a grin. “Hey, you’re in grade 10 at Juuban High too, right?”

“Hai. Tsukino Enjolras,” he introduced himself, bowing slightly.

“Kino Bahorel,” he returned, bowing as well. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Trust me, the pleasure is all mine. I don’t really want to think about what might have happened if you hadn’t shown up,” he said, thinking of how the other student had leered down at him.

Bahorel scowled. “Those guys deserved more of a beating than they got.”

“Well, all the same, I am very grateful,” he said. “How about I buy you a milkshake at the Musain as a thank you?”

“I won’t say no to that,” Bahorel replied with a grin, throwing an easy arm around Enjolras’ shoulder as they began walking. “Enjolras-san, I believe this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.”

He smiled in return. “Just Enjolras, please. I don’t do honorifics.”

“A rebel!” Bahorel cried joyously. “I love it! I’m game.”

Enjolras chuckled at his response. It made for a change to see someone so eager to jump on board with his admittedly unconventional beliefs. It was also amusing to observe the dichotomy between the dangerous boy who had come to his rescue and the exuberant boy that walked at his side.

He had the feeling that adding Bahorel to his small circle of friends would make his life much more interesting, energy-sucking youma notwithstanding. He was sure Combeferre would like him if only for the fact that he saved Enjolras from two unsavory characters. And Joly could definitely use someone more lighthearted around, as Enjolras was honest enough with himself to admit that he and Combeferre could be a bit too serious at times.

Yes, he decided with a smile as he listened to Bahorel talk about some small café in Kyoto that had served the most divine crepes ever, the tall boy would fit in very well with him and his friends.

#

Joly swore silently as he ran towards his cram school. He couldn’t believe he was late! He was never late! He had just gotten so caught up in talking with Combeferre, he hadn’t even realized they had walked right past the street he needed to turn down to get to the school.

But it was just so _nice_ to have friends to talk to. He hadn’t in junior high. He had thought that was going to change when he met…

That didn’t matter, he thought fiercely, shaking the name from his head. He had left him without a word, leaving him to the mercies of their former classmates, who had taken endless joy in tormenting him.

But that didn’t matter anymore. Now he had Combeferre and Enjolras.

_Until they leave you too,_ a nasty voice said in the back of his mind.

He didn’t have time to dwell on the thought as he reached his classroom and dunked furtively inside, hoping to escape too much notice.

He gasped aloud as he saw the state of the room, his classmates slumped unconscious in their seats with a horrible red and green monster bowing to…

Familiar gray eyes looked at him dispassionately, with no spark of recognition at all.

Joly furrowed his brow. How could Bossuet look at him as if he didn’t know him? Better question, he thought as the situation finally registered in his mind, why had Bossuet been surveying the seemingly lifeless room with such satisfaction?

“It looks like you have another student, Garoben,” Bossuet told the monster, causing the hideous thing’s attention to turn to Joly.

“Bossuet…” he pleaded, fear welling inside him as he took a step back. The other man frowned, something like confusion entering his eyes, but the monster launched herself at Joly before either of them could say anything more.

Joly frantically threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding the monster’s grasp. He scrambled to his feet and made a run towards the door, only for the monster to appear before him. He backed away as quickly as he could, not wanting to turn his back on the creature, only for tight hands to grasp his shoulders and hold him in place.

He twisted his head around looked up at his former boyfriend. “Bossuet, why?” he asked, knowing that begging for his life was probably useless at this point.

“How do you know my name?” the other demanded. “Who are you?”

“Bossuet, please!” he cried, eying the monster moving closer to them. “It’s me! It’s Joly! Surely you remember? You said you loved me and then disappeared…” he whispered softly.

Bossuet stared down at him for a long moment before pushing him away. “Enough of your trickery and lies! Garoben, take care of this nuisance!” he ordered before disappearing.

Before the monster had a chance to move, Joly darted across the room and out the door, running towards the stairs and taking them two at a time, hearing Garoben behind him in hot pursuit.

“Joly, matte!” a voice called from somewhere near his feet. Frowning, he stopped and looked down, staring at the small black cat looking up at him with what looked like a blue pen lying on the floor next to it.

“Quickly,” the cat said, causing Joly to realize that he had obviously developed some severe mental disease that caused spontaneous hallucinations. “Take this pen and say, ‘Mercury Power, Make Up!’”

Figuring he may as well go along with his hallucinations, especially when he wasn’t entirely certain that the monster quickly catching up with him was a hallucination, he took the pen without comment.

Holding it up and desperately hoping something happened, he yelled, “Mercury Power, Make Up!”

Streams of light blue power flowing like water shot out of the pen, surrounding him briefly before sinking into him. He felt power flowing under his skin, making him feel stronger than he ever felt.

He turned towards the monster that was running towards him. Instinctively knowing what to do, he held his arms up and crossed his forearms. “Shabon Spray!” he called out, flinging his arms out and unleashing the power inside him. A freezing mist spread throughout the hallway, causing the monster to pause in her approach now that she could see nothing.

Smiling, he touched the right side of his mask, changing the clear lenses of his mask to a computer display that allowed him to see through the mist. The monster, unaware of his movements, was caught completely off guard by his next attack.

“Mercury Aqua Mist!” he cried, hold his crossed arms straight out in front of him and shooting a cold blue blast of power towards the creature, who cried out in pain as it struck and shattered into a million disappearing fragments.

He stared at the spot the monster had been before looking down at his gloved hands in shock.

“Well, at least one of you is a proper Senshi,” a self-satisfied voice said.

Joly looked down at the cat who was once again talking.

He wanted to deny that this was happening, but it all felt too real, too _familiar_.

An uneasy feeling washed over him. It was a feeling of dread mixed with resignation. Whether or not being a soldier was familiar to him, he did not enjoy it.

He only did what he must.

#

Jehan smiled in bemusement as Grantaire glared once again at something, or rather someone, across the café that he could not see, try as he might to gaze around the rather large crowd of student blocking his line of vision.

“Perhaps you could tell me what offends you so about the person you are determined to kill with your eyes,” he commented lightly.

Grantaire blanched and looked at him with a panicked expression, causing Jehan’s amusement to fade. Apparently, whatever his boyfriend was staring at, it distressed him greatly.

“’Taire?”

“It’s nothing,” he said quickly, picking at his fries absentmindedly.

The group that had been blocking his view chose that moment to leave and Jehan quickly shot a glance in the direction Grantaire was looking.

His breath caught in his throat.

He knew them. Of course, he did. He, like Grantaire, could recognize his fellow Senshi without knowing them in this lifetime, and there was no mistaking who the man seated with the Senshi was.

His heart ached to see Jupiter’s face lighting up as he told what was apparently a very spirited story to his companion. The man was just as striking as he remembered him being.

Did he remember him? Did he remember how close they were? Did he remember comforting Jehan when he woke in the middle of the night crying as the seas roared terrible warnings of pain and death in head?

The thought of his best friend not remembering him cut him to the quick, and he turned away from the sight of the laughing man to catch Grantaire’s stricken look.

Kami, but his boyfriend _knew_.

“This doesn’t change things,” he assured him frantically. “I love _you_ ,” he continued, the words ringing false even to his own ears.

But they were _true_. He did love Grantaire. And Neptune _had_ loved Uranus. He may have been in love with his best friend, but Neptune had cared very deeply for his partner. He had felt guilty, at first, for the actions of his past self, but he knew he only had bits and pieces of the story. Perhaps he had been justified in not coming clean with Uranus.

And if Grantaire’s inability to accept the good things that happened to him was anything to go by, he was sure that Neptune hadn’t wanted to prove Uranus right by leaving him, though that was just an educated guess.

“I’m sorry,” Grantaire said, drawing Jehan out of his thoughts. “You know I love you too. I will never leave you,” he promised.

Jehan shook his head and grabbed Grantaire’s hand across the table. “You have nothing to apologize for. It’s nobody’s fault. What matters is that we’re together now, and nothing is going to change that.”

Grantaire nodded and squeezed his hand in reassurance.

Jehan smiled at him, trying to hide the ache in his heart as he thought about the Senshi sitting across the room. But he would not hurt Grantaire. He would rather cut out his own heart than see the other man suffer because of him.

“I love you,” Grantaire whispered.

“I love you too,” he replied, hoping it was enough.

Tbc…


End file.
